lifting front end of 65

[Fred C.]

I have a 65 coupe with a 327 300hp and its time for a brake job. There seems to be different schools of thought on lifting the front end. I would prefer to lift the whole front end at once and put on jack stands. It looks like I could slide the hydralic jack under the front center of the car. The crossmember on the frame in the center between the bumper brackets looks like the spot to lift. Some say not to do it this way as it will damage the bumper brackets. I dont understand why it would damage them if the hydralic jack is centered between them? This way I can lift the whole front of the car a once and slide my jack stands under the frame side rails on each side. This can be done with one operation. The other school of thought is to lift one side at a time by placing the jack on the side rail and lifting high enough to get a jack stand under the side rail and repeating the operation on the other side to fully lift the whole front end up. The second way would involve two operations and does not seem as safe as the first. If any of you guys or gals have done this which option did you do or which is best for the car. thanks fred

[Harry S.]

Re: lifting front end of 65

Fred, I can almost guarantee you that if you jack it up on the center cross member you will dent the cross member. This has become a major pain to repair. If you have the car judged, you will take a point hit on the dents.

When I did mine I put a jack stand under each side and had no problems. I'm sure others will chime in.

[Peter H.]

Re: lifting front end of 65

I Use A Piece Of 2x4 That Just Fits In The V Of The Two Brackets.my Jack Has A Square Pad And Have Had No Problem For Over Thirty Five Years Of Service .the Block Of Wood Is About 8" Long.

[Fred C.]

Re: lifting front end of 65

thanks Harry, I dont want to damage my baby in any way, fred

[Russ S.]

Re: lifting front end of 65

You won't damage the cross member if you use the block of 2X4 that Peter suggests but it needs to be long enough that it catches both the front and rear edges of the cross member. These edges are double thickness steel.

[Paul J.]

Re: lifting front end of 65

Fred, just do one side at a time, like you're supposed to. There's no reason to have both wheels off at the same time for a brake job.

When I need to have both sides off the ground at the same time, I lift one side, block it, and then lift the other side.

Paul

[Todd B.]

Re: lifting front end of 65

Here are a couple of photos of a fixture I made for my floor jack to prevent (further) damage to my crossmember and bumper brackets. Obviously, someone in the past did not take the same care jacking the car and bent the bumper brackets in the process. The crossmember is in good condition, so I did not want to cause damage to it.

I designed it so no pressure would be applied to the bumper brackets, and added a block front and back to make sure the fixture stays centered under the crossmember. All of the material was purchased at Lowe's in the lumber department where they offer dimensioned hardwood (poplar) lumber.

Todd

[Fred C.]

Re: lifting front end of 65

Hey Todd, thanks for the pics, very nice rig up fred

[Tom R.]

Re: lifting front end of 65

Todd,

Nice solution and craftsmanship....especially the countersunk screws. Clean.